Creative Scotland has announced that the Open Fund for Individuals will close to new applications later this month due to “budget uncertainty”.
The Scottish Government’s non-departmental public body said the “difficult decision” was taken because the Scottish Government “was unable to confirm the release of £6.6 million from the grant budget in the current financial year 2024-25”. The fund will close to new applications from 2pm on Friday 30 August 2024.
The bookseller has asked the Scottish Government for comment.
The Open Fund For Individuals is a funding programme to support artists, writers, producers and other creative professionals in Scotland. The £6 million fund is designed to support creative activities such as specific projects, productions or research and development phases for up to 24 months.
Creative Scotland had planned to use £3 million of its £6.6 million budget to support the Open Fund for Individuals in 2024-25, in addition to £3 million from National Lottery revenue.
Without confirmation of the release of this budget, Creative Scotland advised that there are insufficient funds available to support all the funding routes we currently offer under their annual plan.
All currently submitted applications for the Individual Open Fund will be processed and the National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations will remain open.
Iain Munro, chief executive of Creative Scotland, said: “The uncertainty around the Scottish Government’s provision of grant budgets is creating critical issues for the ongoing support we are able to provide to the Scottish cultural sector. This decision to close the Open Fund for Individuals is not one we would have wanted to take, but it is unavoidable without the Scottish Government funding available. Like everyone working in Scotland’s cultural and creative sectors, we understand the extreme pressures on public finances, but we would like to see longer-term budgetary certainty from the Scottish Government, including the additional £100 million announced in October 2023, the details of which are not yet known.”
